1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printed substrate board equipped with edge portions on at least one side. The printed substrate board is a type designed to include multiple board bodies for receiving external electronic parts during later assembly [printed substrate board hereinafter referred to as a printed board].
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 2, a conventional printed board 1 is constructed from a plurality of printed board bodies 2 (four shown), each aligned vertically relative to board 1. A pair of discardable edge parts 3 extend along both sides of printed board 1. Edge parts 3 act as lead portions to maintain alignment for an external mounter, as will be explained.
During initial creation, printed board bodies 2 and edge parts 3 are formed from single board 1 by cutting or punching in a conventional manner along manufacturer specified locations.
During initial creation, cutting parts 4 are formed along the boundaries between board bodies 2 and edge portions 3, to assist in later separation. Cutting parts 4 include multiple holes and slots to aid in later separation, as will be explained.
Edge parts 3 serve to retain printed board bodies 2 in printed board 1. After initial formation, board 1 is loaded onto the external mounter guided by edge parts 3 generally for automatic insertion of parts. Various parts specified by the manufacturer are mounted onto each board body 2. Frequently, printed board bodies 2 have chip parts, connecting wires, or other electronic equipment mounted during assembly.
After mounting, each printed board body 2 is separated along cutting parts 4 from board 1 and edge parts 3, separating each printed board body 2 into an individual unit.
In conventional printed board 1, each printed board body 2 is directly supported on both sides by edge parts 3. The shape of printed board bodies 2 is conventionally limited to a substantially rectangular shape.
However, for electronic controllers used in game machines or in other unusually shaped devices, a substantially non-rectangular shape printed board body is desirable and is frequently necessary to achieve miniaturization, waste minimization, and other manufacturing goals.
Additionally, efficient placement or orientation for the above-described electronic parts upon printed board bodies 2 is frequently limited by the conventional rectangular shape. As a result, a more beneficial orientation for board bodies 2, relative to edge parts 3, is desirable and would allow easier and more efficient placement of electronic parts during mounting and later assembly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a board, including at least one edge part usable as a conventional mounter lead, with at least one randomly shaped non-rectangular board body.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a printed board, with randomly shaped board bodies that allows for easy orienting for efficient placement of electronic parts during mounting and later assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a printed board, with edge parts usable as conventional mounter leads that support multiple types of randomly shaped board bodies.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a printed board, capable of adequately supporting at least one randomly shaped board body with at least one secondary part while allowing edge parts usable as similar conventional mounter leads.
It is another object of the present invention to provide printed board bodies with complex shapes corresponding to complex shape requirements where the board bodies allow a sufficiently large space to receive all required parts within an electronic device.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides a printed board constructed from a substantially unitary body provided with edge parts along opposing sides for mounting into a mounting device. The printed board includes randomly shaped board bodies each having at least one portion of each opposing side joined to the edge parts through secondary parts. The secondary parts supporting each board body and allowing simple separation of each board body from the printed board and the edge parts along cutting boundary portions.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a printed substrate board, comprising: at least a first board body in the printed substrate board, the first board body having a first shaped edge, at least one edge portion in the printed substrate board, the edge portion having at least a first and second edge, the first and second edges substantially parallel to each other, the first shaped edge substantially nonparallel to the second edge, a first cutting portion between the first shaped edge and the second edge, the first cutting portion adjoining the second edge, a second cutting portion between the first shaped edge and the first cutting portion, the second cutting portion adjoining the first shaped edge, at least one secondary part between and adjoining both the first and second edge portions, the first and second cutting portions enabling simple separation between the first board body, the edge portion, and the second cutting portion, and the secondary part having a shape complementary to both the first shaped edge and the second edge whereby the first board body engages the edge portion through the secondary part in a substantially parallel manner.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a printed board wherein: the board bodies are aligned in a single direction between the at least first and second edge parts.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a printed board further comprising: at least a first and a second randomly shaped board body, and the at least first and second board bodies connecting to each other by at least one cutting boundary portion.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a printed board wherein: the at least first and second board bodies connect each edge part through the at least one secondary part.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a printed board, further comprising: at least one tertiary part connecting the at least a first and a second board bodies by at least one cutting boundary portion, and the at least first and second board bodies connecting to the edge parts through the secondary part.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a printed board, further comprising: the substantially unitary body including at least a third and a fourth edge part on opposing sides of the unitary body and being of a type mountable into the external device, and the at least one board body connecting to the third and fourth edge part through the at least one secondary part.
According to another embodiment of the invention there is provided a method of forming a randomly shaped printed board body, comprising the steps of: determining at least one desired random shape for a printed body element in response to a customer need, positioning the at least one random shape on a preformed printed board body in response to an external mounting operation, determining a secondary shape for at least one discarding element in response to the at least one random shape and the external mounting operation, positioning the at least one secondary shape on the pre-formed printed board body in response to the external mounting operation and the random shape, and forming a plurality of cutting parts on the pre-formed printed board body whereby the printed body element and the at least one discarding element are substantially separate from the pre-formed printed board.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a printed board being of a type constructed from a single board, comprising: a plurality of randomly shaped printed board bodies, each printed board body aligning in a single direction and being of a type mountable with external parts, at least one edge part extending along at least one side of the printed board bodies, the at least one edge part being of a type mountable into an external device, at least one discarding board part connecting at least one side of the printed board bodies to the at least one edge part, and at least one boundary portion separating each printed board body from the discarding board part and the at least one edge part.
The above, and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.